An image data processing apparatus including: a reader that reads image data included an image file from an external storage medium, the image data being variable-length coded data of image blocks The reader performs a first reading processing for reading the image data in an arrangement order thereof from a storage medium and the data processor performs a boundary information derivation processing based on the image data for obtaining boundary information representing a boundary in a data arrangement in the storage medium between the image data belonging to two image blocks located adjacent in the data arrangement in the storage medium and at mutually different positions in the sub scanning direction. The reader performs a second reading processing for reading the image data from the storage medium in an order determined based on the boundary information and saving them in the storage.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An image data processing apparatus, comprising: a reader that reads image data included an image file from an external storage medium, the image data being variable-length coded data of image blocks obtained by dividing an image in a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction and arranged in an order of the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction; a storage that temporarily saves the image data read by the reader; a printing unit that prints the image corresponding to the image file on a recording material based on print data in response to a print instruction from a user; and a data processor that requests image data to the reader and performs a specified data processing to the image data fed from the reader in response to the request to generate the print data, wherein: the reader performs a first reading processing for reading the image data in an arrangement order thereof from the storage medium and the data processor performs a boundary information derivation processing based on the image data for obtaining boundary information representing a boundary in a data arrangement in the storage medium between the image data belonging to two image blocks located adjacent in the data arrangement in the storage medium and at mutually different positions in the sub scanning direction, whereas the reader performs a second reading processing for reading the image data from the storage medium in an order determined based on the boundary information and saving them in the storage; and at least one of the boundary information derivation processing and the second reading processing is started before receiving the print instruction from the user.
2. The image data processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display unit that displays an image corresponding to the image file based on display data, wherein the data processor generates the display data based on the data read in the first reading processing and supplies the generated display data to the display unit.
3. The image data processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a first processing mode for performing the first reading processing, the boundary information derivation processing and the second reading processing in this order and a second processing mode for reading the image data in the arrangement order from the storage medium and saving them in the storage are selectively executed.
4. The image data processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein one of the first and second processing modes is selectively executed based on information representing the size of the image included in the image file.
5. The image data processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein one of the first and second processing modes is selectively executed based on information relating to the image arrangement on the recording material specified by the user.
6. The image data processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein: the data processor requests the image data to the reader in an order corresponding to a printing order by the printing unit; and the second processing mode is selected when the order of the image data requested by the data processor coincides with the arrangement order of the image data in the storage means, whereas the first processing mode is selected when these orders differ.
7. An image data processing method comprising: generating print data from image data stored in a storage medium and printing an image on a recording material based on the print data in response to a print instruction from a user; a first reading processing for reading image data included an image file in an arrangement order thereof from the storage medium storing, the image data being variable-length coded data of image blocks obtained by dividing an image in a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction and arranged in an order of the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction; a boundary information derivation processing for obtaining boundary information representing a boundary in a data arrangement in the storage medium between the image data belonging to two image blocks located adjacent in the data arrangement in the storage medium and at mutually different positions in the sub scanning direction based on the image data read in the first reading processing; and a second reading processing for reading the image data from the storage medium in an order determined based on the boundary information and saving them in the storage, wherein at least one of the boundary information derivation processing and the second reading processing is started before receiving the print instruction from the user.
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September 2, 2008
March 13, 2012
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